An inaugural inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on this day in 1986, Chuck Berry was credited with revolutionizing the music scene of the 1950s. He was a major influence on the emergence of rock and roll, blending lyrics about cars, women, and teenage life with the driving combination of rhythm and blues and country and western music. Known for his showmanship on stage and his guitar solos, Berry set the standard for rock performers. A special feature of this work is the imagined "Maybellene," who stands on the neck of the guitar at the center. According to the artist, Red Grooms, he "gave the great Rock and Roller the futurist treatment and made sure the color scheme would work in any cool cat’s parlor."
Chuck Berry
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Artist
- Red Grooms, born 7 Jun 1937
- Sitter
- Chuck Berry, 18 Oct 1926 - 18 Mar 2017
- Date
- 1978
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Medium
- Screenprint with collage on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 81.1 x 64.8 cm (31 15/16 x 25 1/2")
- Type
